Does your horse appear dull and lethargic? If yes, he might be suffering from an internal disease. There are other symptoms to watch out for, that's why it's best to be aware when your horse needs medical attention. Learn more about the common symptoms of internal diseases and what you should do to keep your horse well in this document from Horseland.com.au.

1. Internal Diseases
Cold in the Head
This is similar to a cold in human beings, and is brought about by exposure or infection. A cold
in itself is not a serious complaint, but it is most important that it should be noticed in its early
stages and that the horse should be rested.
Serious complications such as pneumonia frequently follow when a horse has been worked with
a cold.
Symptoms. Sneezing is often one of the first symptoms and the horse appears dull and lethargic.
There is a thin discharge from the nose which, after a short time, becomes thick. The horse will
probably have a cough.
The eyes may water and the coat will be dull and staring.
The horse may be slightly feverish, but if the temperature does not subside in a few days it is a
sign of complications.
Treatment. The horse should be put on a laxative diet and as much nitre as will go on a sixpence
added to his water once a day.
The stable should be well ventilated, but free from draughts, and the horse warmly rugged up.
Inhalations of eucalyptus should be given to assist the discharge from the nostrils.
Coughs
One of the most troublesome complaints that can start in a stable is coughing, and many horses
are laid up for a considerable time owing to it. A cough is not in itself a disease, but one of the
symptoms of several troubles.
As treatment varies with the cause, it is essential to diagnose correctly the cause of the cough.
Coughing is very likely to start in a stable when horses have been brought in from grass, and in
this case it is due to the impure air of the stable or indigestion. The prevention of a cough of this
kind lies in keeping the stable door open night and day, and in making the change from soft to
hard food gradual and not sudden.
Horses very seldom cough when turned out to grass even if the weather is wet and cold.
Any form of cough is an unsoundness in a horse as long as it persists.
In cases of throat or lung trouble medicines must never be administered in the form of a drench.
They should be given in the food, water or in the form of a ball.

2. Sore Throat Cough
See Laryngitis.
Cough due to Irritants
Another cause of cough is that due to a drench, some of which has gone down the wind pipe
instead of the gullet, or to an irritant, such as a thistle, which has stuck in the throat.
Coughs due to these causes will probably right themselves in a short time, but if a considerable
quantity of fluid has got into the lungs the irritation may give rise to pneumonia and must be
treated as such.
Cough due to Indigestion
Coughs due to indigestion are frequently described as long and drawn out. They are due to
discomfort in the stomach and intestines, and are frequently accompanied by an unthrifty
appearance and a dull, staring coat.
Treatment. This consists in removal of the cause. It is as well to see the effect of 11/2 pints of
linseed oil.
In many cases this will do the trick, but if no improvement is noticed, worms should be
suspected as the cause of the trouble and the horse fasted and dosed for worms.
Cough due to Broken Wind
This form is chronic and is another long-drawn-out cough. The only form of treatment is
palliative, which consists in giving all the food damp, and following out the instructions given
for broken wind.
Cough due to Teething
Teething may upset the general health of a young horse and cause a cough.
This cough will disappear as soon as the cause has disappeared, and the only treatment necessary
is to keep the bowels well open by the addition of Epsom salts to the food.
Laryngitis
which is similar to sore throat in man, may assume a serious phase in a horse. It is an
inflammation of the inner lining of the throat which will cause a cough, a discharge from the
nostrils and difficulty in breathing.
Externally the throat will be swollen and a harsh sound will be noticeable as the horse breathes.
In very severe cases the horse may choke owing to the air passage being blocked, in which case
death follows.
Treatment. The horse must be kept warm with plenty of clothing and the stable well ventilated.

3. Eucalyptus inhalations should be given, and camphor and belladonna electuary* smeared on the
tongue three or four times daily.
The throat should be rubbed with liniment.
The horse probably will not take its food, owing to the soreness in the throat, so he should be
encouraged to take nourishment in the form of gruel or linseed tea.
As soon as he will eat, bran mashes should be given, and he is more likely to nibble grass than
hay. If green food is not available, the hay should be damped.
Bronchitis
This is an inflammation of the throat and bronchial tubes. It is caused by:
(1) Bacteria.
(2) Chemical or mechanical irritants.
(3) Exposure to cold, especially when the animal is in an exhausted condition.
Symptoms. A harsh dry cough, which is increased by exercise. As the
disease progresses the cough will become softer. A discharge from the
nostrils, thin and watery at the outset, later becomes thick.
The temperature may rise to 1050 F.
The pulse is fast and soft.
The respiration is quick and laboured.
There is a discharge from the eyes, and the mucous membranes are dull
blue in colour.
Treatment. On no account should physic balls or drenches be given, as these are apt to choke the
animal or set up pneumonia. Plenty of air is essential, warmth being provided by rugs and
bandages.
Inhalations of eucalyptus will give relief.
Hot fomentations should be applied to the chest wall.
The throat should be rubbed with liniment.
It is advisable to call in the veterinary surgeon.

4. Asthma
This disease is very rare in the horse. When it occurs the condition is chronic and the breathing
becomes distressed at more or less regular intervals.
The cause is not certain, but may be due to insanitary or stuffy stables.
Treatment. There is no satisfactory treatment, but it is advisable to give all food damp, as in the
case of broken wind.
Strangles
An acutely contagious disease of the nose and throat. In severe cases there is always swelling
and suppuration of the submaxillary glands, while in extreme cases the same may occur in other
parts of the body.
The disease is caused by an organism called the streptococcus of strangles. It most frequently
attacks young horses. The chief cause of an attack is infection by means of forage, infected
mangers or stables, railway boxes, or by paddocks infected with the disease.
STRANGLES.
Infected bedding, head collars, buckets, grooming kit, etc., may also be the cause of this disease,
which spreads with lightning rapidity. Fresh air, suitable food and adequate exercise, combined
with strict and hygienic stable management, will do much to prevent its occurrence.
Symptoms. The first noticeable signs will be dullness and apathy, together with a rise of
temperature, probably to between 1030 and 1050 F. The mucous membrane of the eye will be
found on examination to be of an unhealthy red colour, as opposed to the light pink of the
healthy horse.
A thin watery discharge from one or both nostrils will turn to a thick, yellowish one. There may
be sore throat and coughing. The glands beneath the throat will swell and become very hot and
tender. Later they will soften and burst, whereupon the temperature will quickly fall.

5. The danger is that, should the organism penetrate to and infect the blood stream (Bastard
strangles), abscesses may be formed in the lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys or brain, in which case
death will follow. Abscesses may also form on joints or tendons. These of themselves are not
fatal, though they may lead to chronic lameness.
In this case the swelling of the submaxillary glands is less pronounced.
Strangles occurs most frequently in horses under six years old.
Treatment. Because of the highly contagious nature of the disease treatment must concern not
only the patient but all other horses in the stables or vicinity. To this end the patient should be
isolated in a roomy, airy box, well ventilated and free from draughts. The old box must be
most carefully disinfected, as must every article of clothing, saddlery and equipment which as or
may have been in contact with the sick horse.
Keep the patient warm by means of rugs and flannel bandages—not by shutting doors and
windows.
Give inhalations of eucalyptus.
Cleanse the nostrils frequently with warm water and keep them smeared with eucalyptus
ointment. The membranes of the nostrils are extremely sensitive, and even a weak solution of
disinfectant will aggravate the trouble.
Abscesses should be encouraged to mature by the application of some stimulating liniment. If
their bursting is delayed the veterinary surgeon should be summoned, since, should they burst
internally, the blood stream may be affected, with dire results. When the abscesses do burst they
should be treated as ordinary wounds.
Food should be soft and easily digested. Green food, steamed hay, a very little crushed oats,
linseed mash, carrots or turnips may be varied and given in such a way as will tempt the horse to
eat.
The disease runs its course in from four to six weeks and the period of convalescence is a long
one—two months at least. A further long period of conditioning will be necessary before normal
work can be resumed.
Wind trouble is a not an infrequent sequel to strangles.
Vaccine treatment is necessary for Bastard strangles.
Glanders is a notifiable disease, and any suspicion of its existence must be reported immediately
to the police.
Symptoms. The chief symptoms are:

6. (1) Discharge from the nostrils.
(2) Ulcers on the mucous membranes lining the nostrils.
(3) Small abscesses which later run together between the angles of the lower jaw.
Congestion of the Lungs. This is due to the presence of an abnormal quantity of blood in the
lungs. As it is frequently followed by pneumonia unless attended to, it is most advisable to seek
expert assistance at once.
There are a number of causes which bring on congestion of the lungs:
(1) The presence of bacteria.
(2) Chemical irritants, e.g., medicines.
(3) Exposure to bad weather.
(4) Cardiac debility. This frequently follows hard exercise if a horse is unfit, and is not
uncommon at the end of a long hunt.
Symptoms. If it occurs in the hunting field the symptoms are alarming.
The horse is likely to fall if pressed to move. Respiration is very exaggerated, and the flanks and
chest wall will heave.
The horse will stand with legs outstretched and the head and neck extended.
The nostrils are dilated and the animal is in a staggering condition. The mucous membrane of the
eye is a dull bluish colour and the pulse weak. The temperature will probably rise rapidly as high
as 1060 F. and the animal may break out into a cold sweat.
First-aid Treatment. If in the hunting field turn the sick animal with his head to the wind, remove
girths, throat lash, etc., and throw a coat over his back. Drench with a flask of whisky or brandy
well diluted with water. The old-fashioned remedy of bleeding from the jugular vein gives the
quickest relief from the congestion.
Treatment. Place the horse in an airy box, clothe warmly and feed with laxative and nutritious
food, which must not be of a bulky nature.
A long period of convalescence is necessary.
Pneumonia
This is inflammation of the lungs and is due to the same causes as congestion. It frequently
follows influenza or strangles, or may be caused by senility, anaemia or debility.
Symptoms. Breathing is difficult and hurried, the head is outstretched and the nostrils dilated.
The temperature will be above normal and the mucous membrane of the eye have a bluish
colour.
The pulse is rapid and weak.

7. There may be a cough and a thin nasal discharge.
The patient may have shivering attacks.
A horse seldom lies down during an attack of acute pneumonia.
If the disease progresses favourably the temperature will gradually subside, but a sudden drop of
the temperature is a very bad sign.
In advanced stages the colour of the nasal discharge becomes yellowish brown.
The animal is generally constipated and the faeces may be mucus-coated.
Treatment. As in all pulmonary diseases, nursing is of the greatest importance. The patient
should be well rugged up and bandaged, and plenty of fresh air allowed to enter the box.
Eucalyptus inhalations may be given, and the bowels kept open with 4 tablespoonful of Epsom
salts in the drinking water daily.
As much nitre as will go on a sixpence may also be given daily in the drinking water.
The horse should not be drenched.
It is a most serious illness and veterinary aid should be called in.
Pleurisy
This is an inflammation of the pleura or membrane covering the lungs.
It is usually caused by bacterial infection, but may also follow a wound in the wall of the chest.
Symptoms. The horse is off its feed.
The patient appears to be distressed and in pain, and is unwilling to move as movement increases
the pain. The pulse is hard and fast.
The temperature will be high, up to 1070 F.
There may be a discharge from the eyes and nose.
The breathing is fast, and the flank and abdomen work excessively, while the chest does not
appear to move.
The patient seldom lies down.
The course of the disease is rapid, and death may follow in two or three days. In some cases,
however, it is more protracted. Pneumonia is a usual complication.

8. Treatment. As in pneumonia, keep the patient in an airy box and maintain warmth with plenty of
clothing and bandages.
Hot poultices or a mild blister* may be applied to the chest wall.
Epsom salts (4 tablespoonsful) and nitre (1 teaspoonful) should be given in the drinking water
daily.
The veterinary surgeon should be sent for. It may be necessary to tap the chest to withdraw fluid.
Contagious Pleuro-pneumonia
This disease is fortunately not very common, but serious outbreaks occur from time to time. It is
due to bacterial infection gaining access to the lungs during inhalation or through food and water
which has been in contact with an infected animal.
It has a period of incubation of two to seven days.
Symptoms. At first the animal does not go off its feed, but appears listless and may have a cough.
The temperature will rise as high as 1060 F.
The appetite disappears and the respirations become rapid and laboured.
The mucous membrane of the eye becomes vivid red.
There is a discharge from the nostrils, thin and watery at first, which later becomes thick and
brown in colour.
The patient will grunt. A swelling is present under the chest.
The crisis is reached about the sixth day.
As a horse is unlikely to recover if it has been worked in the earliest stages immediate diagnosis
is essential to successful treatment.
Treatment. Rigid isolation.
Relief may be given by eucalyptus inhalations.
The best foods to give are steamed hay, boiled oats, linseed mash, gruel or fresh grass.
A long period of convalescence is required.
The veterinary surgeon should be called in.

9. Influenza
The influenzas of man and other animals are entirely different diseases from the influenza of the
horse.
The actual origin of the disease is unknown, but it is highly infectious and is spread by
contagion, clothing, food, bedding, grooming kit or infected stables.
To avoid the spread of this disease everything which may have been in contact must be
thoroughly disinfected.
Photo owned by WCG
Influenza has a period of incubation of two to five days, and after the symptoms become
apparent may turn into either:
(1) The mild type, which will run its course in six to eight days, or
(2) The severe type or pinkeye, in which the most critical period is the
fifth to the eight day.
Symptoms. In both types the patient has a high temperature and is in an exhausted condition.
There will be a catarrhal discharge from eyes and nostrils, great depression, coughing and a high
temperature, which should gradually decline.
If the temperature, which is normally high at the commencement, does not gradually subside the
outlook is not very hopeful.

10. The severe type or pinkeye is recognised by the bright red colour of the eye as opposed to the
dirty yellowish colour produced by the mild type, and is often complicated by pneumonia.
The legs, muzzle and belly may be swollen.
Apart from fatal results, which are common with this disease, the great danger lies in the very
possible legacy of permanent respiratory trouble.
Treatment. Prevention is far better than cure, and a really healthy horse is far less liable to the
disease than one run down and in poor condition.
If an outbreak of influenza occurs in the stable, the temperature of every horse should be taken
daily before work, as in mild cases a rise of temperature is the earliest symptom.
Good stable management, isolation of new horses, care when travelling and subsequent isolation
will assist in keeping the disease away.
If, in spite of precautions, influenza occurs, isolate the patient at once in a roomy, airy box free
from draughts, rug up well and bandage the legs.
Really careful nursing is of the greatest importance.
Give soft food little and often.
Steam the head frequently with inhalations of eucalyptus.
As pneumonia is a frequent sequel to even the mild form of influenza it is advisable to call in
your veterinary surgeon.
Constipation
Put on soft food, give a laxative and an enema if necessary.
It is due to faulty feeding and lack of exercise, and its recurrence should be avoided by giving
laxative food and small doses of salts.
Diarrhoea Purging and Superpurgation
Diarrhoea is not necessarily a symptom of disease, as it may be an effort to dislodge or expel
indigestible or injurious matter. It is due to a variety of causes, e.g.:
(1) Sudden changes of diet (such as turning out to grass without preparation).
(2) The presence of red worms in the intestine.
(3) Chill on the stomach.
(4) Excitement.

11. Purging as a result of physic is not a disease.
Superpurgation is the result of an overdose of physic or of the physic having been administered
without suitable preparation.
Treatment. Diarrhoea must be treated in a way that will remove the cause. If it is due to injurious
matter in the stomach or intestine the first thing to do is to give a pint of linseed oil. This will
assist to lubricate the intestines and pass out the irritant matter. Once the irritant has been
removed 1 to 4 drachms of chlorodyne and oz. of bismuth may be given in flour gruel.
Superpurgation. Give 1 to 4 drachms of chlorodyne and ½ oz. of bismuth. A frequent sequel of
superpurgation is constipation; therefore, as soon as the purging has ceased, small doses of salts
should be given in mashes.
Colic
This familiar disease is similar to stomachache in man and the pain varies
in intensity.
The condition is caused by:
(1) Over-taxing the stomach with food.
(2) A stoppage in the S bend between the stomach and the small intestine.
(3) Parasites.
(4) Digestive troubles.
(5) Easily fermented foods, e.g., new oats, mouldy hay, etc.
(6) Indiscreet watering.
(7) Twisted gut.
(8) Sand in the stomach.
(9) Stones in the bowels, kidneys or bladder.
Symptoms. The horse appears uneasy in the stable, off his food, looks round at his flank and may
break into a profuse sweat. Respiration is laboured; the pulse is quick and accentuated; the
mucous membrane of the eye is much inflamed; there may be straining to pass faeces and urine.
The horse will look round and kick at his stomach.
He will repeatedly lie down and get up again. When down he may roll with considerable
violence. The temperature may rise a degree or two, but the surest indication is the pulse.
Twisted gut is a form of colic which is caused by a stumble, a fall or by too heavy a feed in the
case of an animal brought home after a long day's work.
The opinion is often expressed that the horse by rolling causes a twist. It is at least as likely that a
twist causes rolling. In the case of a twist the temperature may rise to 1050, which is higher than
in other forms of colic.

12. Treatment. If on the road the horse wants to stop and appears uneasy, colic will probably be the
cause, and the first thing to be done by the rider is to get the horse into a box and encourage
staling. Shake straw up under the belly and whistle.
On arrival home, put the horse in a large and airy box and bed well down.
Administer a colic drink or the following:
Turpentine ……………………………………… 2 tablespoonsful.
Linseed oil …………………………………… 1½ pints.
Whiskey or brandy ……………………………... 2 tablespoonsful.
The horse may roll, but must be watched to avoid injury.
A hot blanket rolled up and applied under the belly well back will help to
reduce pain and stimulate the action of the bowels, as will a warm enema.
If the patient is not better in an hour after the drench is administered the
veterinary surgeon should be sent for.
It is advisable to keep a stock of colic drinks which have been made up by
your veterinary surgeon.
Worms
Horses are particularly susceptible to attack by various forms of these
parasites, which are known collectively as worms.
A. Stomach Bots
These are not true worms but arise from the attack of a yellowish-brown fly—the gad-fly or bot-
fly—which lays its eggs on the legs when the horse is out at grass. The legs are then licked by
the animal and the eggs are thus transferred to the stomach, where they hatch out into the larvae
known as stomach bots.
Symptoms. Few horses are entirely free from bots, and they are not injurious except in very large
quantities, when they cause loss of condition and even debility, together with a staring and dry
coat. A horse which, eating a good ration, does not thrive may be suspected of bots.
Bots, which are about f inch in length, may be expelled with the dung.
Treatment. If large quantities of eggs are seen the legs may be clipped and the hair burnt—or the
legs may be singed with a singeing lamp. An animal affected internally by the parasite should be
starved for twenty-four hours, when a drench consisting of 2 tablespoonsful of turpentine in
1 pint of linseed oil should be given.
B. Common Intestinal or Round Worm
This is the commonest of all worms, being found in most domestic animals. That found in the
horse is white, stiff and up to a foot in length, and is generally about as thick as a pencil.

13. Figure 1Photo owned by Scott Dunns
Symptoms. In small numbers these rarely give rise to any symptoms, but in large numbers they
may cause stoppage or irregularity of the bowels, loss of condition and intermittent colic.
Treatment. Starve the horse for at least twenty-four hours—even thirty-six hours is not too much
in an aggravated case—then drench with 2 to 4 tablespoonsful of turpentine to 1 pint of linseed
oil. If this has no effect call in the veterinary surgeon, who will give an intestinal lavage
(stomach pump) with saline solution or other preparation.
If the horse is at grass a change of pasture is advisable after treatment.
C. Red Worm
The red worm is a blood-sucker, and is therefore by far the most harmful of all parasites which
attack the horse. Moreover, they pass through the bowel wall into the blood vessels, causing
stoppage of the blood stream.
This results eventually in symptoms of colic or a blood-clot.
They are reddish in colour and up to 1 inch long.
Symptoms. These are most alarming, especially in young horses, and include loss of flesh,
anaemia, hollow flanks, dropped abdomen and dry coat.
The action of the bowels is irregular, and in most cases a particularly offensive diarrhoea is
present. The mucous membrane of the eye is very pale and the appetite is variable. The worm is
visible if the droppings are carefully examined. If not treated excessive debility will set in and
the horse will eventually be unable to rise.
Treatment. If the animal is at grass he should be taken up and given highly nutritious diet. Worm
powders may be given, but internal lavage by a veterinary surgeon is the best cure in bad cases.

14. Pastures should be treated with lime or salt at the rate of one ton per acre, and left for two
winters and a summer, or ploughed. Hay gathered from infected pastures may transmit these
worms to horses. Where the worm is known to exist horses should be dosed periodically with 2
tablespoonsful of turpentine to 1 pint of linseed oil.
D. Whip worms
Are about if inches in length and very thin. They occur in the rectum.
Symptoms. The horse will rub his tail and a sticky discharge will be visible at the anus.
Treatment. A handful of salt in a gallon of warm water should be given as an enema.
Congestion of the Kidneys
Congestion of the kidneys is due to the failure of the kidneys to excrete impure substances which
enter the blood during the course of fevers such as glanders, to tuberculosis or to feeding mouldy
hay, fermented grain or the like.
The condition may also arise as the result of shock or injuries in the neighbourhood of the loins,
or as the result of chill.
Symptoms. There is an increase in the amount of urine passed, which will also be of a lighter
colour than normal. There is also stiffness of movement, especially in the hind quarters, and the
horse will show tenderness to pressure over the loins.
Treatment
(1) Keep the patient warmly rugged and bandaged, and at rest.
(2) A change of diet may be indicated; the food should consist chiefly of linseed mashes.
(3) If the condition can be traced to defective food-stuffs an aloetic ball should be given. If due
to other causes an aperient should not be given.
Stones in the Kidneys
These seldom give rise to much trouble unless both kidneys are affected.
Symptoms. Colicky pains after work. Tenderness to pressure over the loins. Repeated attempts to
stale. Sandy or gritty deposits in urine.
Treatment. Give plenty of fluids. Add a dessertspoonful of bicarbonate of soda to each bucket of
drinking water.
Stones in the Bladder
These are more common. Small stones may give rise to no symptoms; larger ones give rise to
colicky pains and stiffness of gait. They are apt to increase in size with age, and frequently end
by the sudden death of the animal.

15. The urine may dribble continually and be mixed with blood.
The urine is of a high colour and smells of ammonia.
Treatment. This can only be palliative. A warm enema may be given.
Veterinary advice should be sought, as an operation may be possible.
Stones in the Intestines
These are due to deposits of lime salts in the bowels, which may reach a great size.
Medium-sized calculi about the size of a cricket ball are most dangerous as they may shift and
cause a complete stoppage.
Symptoms. Repeated attacks of colic, which eventually prove fatal. There is no cure.
Azoturia (Monday Morning Disease)
The true cause of this disease is not known.
It is due to enforced idleness of a horse in hard condition if the ration of corn is not reduced.
Symptoms. A rolling motion becomes apparent shortly after leaving the stable, there is stiffness
in the hind quarters and the horse may drag his hind legs.
There is excessive perspiration, and the muscles can be seen quivering. If the horse be forced to
proceed he may fall down and be unable to rise. He may become violent.
The muscles of the loins may become very hard and tense, and the temperature rises two or three
degrees to about 1030 F. There will be quickened breathing. If any urine is passed, it will be
coffee coloured.
Mild cases quickly recover; severe cases are followed by death in a few days. Another sequel
may be pneumonia of a fatal type.
Treatment. The malady can be prevented by suitable diet in the case of enforced rest.
When a horse is found to be suffering from azoturia he must be got home at once in a horse box
and a warm enema given. He must not be walked more than is absolutely essential. Hot blankets
should be applied to the loins and a veterinary surgeon sent for. The food during treatment
should be of a laxative nature.

16. Lampas
This is a swollen condition of the roof of the mouth, and is due to a disordered state of the blood.
The old treatment of slitting the roof of the mouth or rubbing salt into the roof of the mouth is
not recommended.
Photo owned by WCVM
A laxative should be given and followed by a course of Epsom salts in the drinking water or
food, to improve the condition of the blood.
Anthrax
Is caused by a bacillus and is a notifiable disease. It is always fatal and generally runs a rapid
course, the animal dying in a few hours.
Symptoms
(1) Very high temperature.
(2) Abnormal swellings of the throat and neck.
(3) Great pain.
There is no cure.
Shivering
Is a nervous affection characterised by involuntary and spasmodic muscular contractions.
The horse will generally cringe when touched along the back. Its hind limbs seem out of control
and the horse backs with great difficulty.
A forelimb, lips, eyes or neck may be affected.
It is a slowly progressing disease and may follow serious illness or a bad fall.

17. Shivering is hereditary, and a shiverer should not be bred from. It is incurable.
Megrims or Staggers
This is the name given to an affection of the brain resulting in sudden loss of equilibrium. It
corresponds to fainting in the human being.
It is due to:
(a) Defective circulation caused by a weak heart, or by undue restraint of throat lash, collar, etc.
(b) Impaired digestion, the result of incorrect feeding.
(c) Congestion of the brain.
(d) Worms.
Symptoms. Attacks arise almost always while the horse is at work. They are periodical, at
intervals of months or years.
The horse will halt, sway, stagger and finally fall to the ground unconscious.
Consciousness usually returns fairly quickly, when the animal will get up and appear dazed. The
attack lasts about five minutes.
Treatment. Remove all possible causes of restraint, such as bridles, collars, etc. Apply cold water
to the head. As treatment varies with the cause the veterinary surgeon should be called in. If
expert advice is unobtainable and the attack is due to cause (a) an ammonia drench should be
given and no purgative; if due to (b), (c) or (d) an aloetic ball should be given, followed by
treatment for worms if necessary.
Rheumatism
Acute rheumatism as known in man is extremely rare in the horse. If it occurs, the lameness is
likely to shift from one limb to another, and may appear in the knee one day and the hock the
next.
Treatment. Rheumatism is due to salts of uric acid in the blood, hence green food and a generally
laxative diet is indicated.
If the lameness is not severe, gentle exercise may be given. In the stable the horse should be
warmly rugged up and weak embrocation well massaged into the affected limb.
Arthritis
This disease, which is not uncommon, is unfortunately incurable, though it may be of long
duration. It occurs mainly in old horses, and its cause is not known. In the early stages it may be
extremely difficult to diagnose, as the horse may be sound one day and lame the next. Gradually
the lameness will become more persistent until eventually the horse will be unworkable. As the

18. disease eats away the bone, it makes a rough surface for the tendon or the opposing bone to work
over.
Arthritis may occur anywhere from the shoulder or stifle to the foot.
Concussion of the Brain
Any blow of sufficient severity, such as knocking the head violently against a low beam in the
stable or against a low stable door, running into a tree, wall, etc., may cause concussion.
Symptoms. Loss of consciousness (which may or may not return after a short interval). The
pupils are dilated; breathing is laboured and irregular; the action of the bowels and the bladder is
involuntary.
Paralysis may occur after the patient recovers consciousness.
Treatment. Absolute quiet. Cold water should be poured over the head and spine. A stimulant
such as ammonia placed to the nostrils may be administered.
The veterinary surgeon should be sent for.
Joint Evil
This disease affects foals from birth till eighteen months old. If it develops within twenty-four
hours of birth it is probably due to infection in the uterus before birth.
The disease is caused by bacterial infection through the navel, or through the mare's milk, and is
due to a variety of organisms.
Symptoms. These vary according to the virulence of the organism causing the disease. The
general symptoms are:
(1) An indisposition to suckle.
(2) A rise of temperature from normal 100° F. to about 1030 F.
(3) Stiffness of movement and possible swelling of the joints, particularly those of the stifle,
knee, hock and elbow.
(4) Signs of the infection at the navel—e.g., swelling, discharge or abscesses.
(5) Lameness, bowel irregularity, and a marked tendency to lie down. In many cases death
follows, those foals which recover being backward for a long period.
Treatment. This is mainly preventive. The navel must be thoroughly disinfected at birth with
iodine solution and the cord tied with a silk thread near the belly. If foaling takes place in a box,
this should be most carefully disinfected—preferably by blow-lamp—before the mare is put
in to foal. The disease is less often found in the case of mares allowed to foal out of doors.
Where the disease is prevalent vaccine treatment of the in-foal mare should be tried.

19. This is a most serious complaint, and the veterinary surgeon should be sent for on the least
suspicion of ailing on the part of the foal.
Biliary Fever
This fever is fortunately not found in England, but it is prevalent in many countries and was the
cause of great mortality among the British army horses in Egypt and Salonika during the War.
Biliary fever is due to a microbe which gains entrance to the blood stream of the horse through a
tick.
Symptoms. The horse which appeared well is suddenly noticed to have the symptoms of jaundice,
the mucous membrane of the eye and nostrils is yellow, the heart weak and the temperature
high—1030 to 1060.
The animal appears very distressed and the hind legs may be swollen.
Extreme debility is produced by this fever in a very short time.
In severe cases a sudden collapse after a few days is followed by death.
Treatment. In climates where ticks are prevalent a daily search should be made and all ticks
removed from the horse.
In some cases a cure will be effected if the animal be kept warm and well nursed, every effort
being made to encourage the patient to take nourishment while the fever is running its course.
Injections of a preparation of quinine hydrobromide direct into the veins may be effective if the
case is taken in hand early.
This must be done by a veterinary surgeon.
The Heart
This important part of a horse's anatomy is too complicated for the amateur. When a horse is
being examined for soundness the veterinary surgeon should always test the heart—an important
point which is in some cases overlooked.
The heart, which weighs 7 or 8 lb., is on the horse's near side, just underneath and behind the
elbow joint. In health the heart beats thirty-six to forty times a minute.
Two distinct sounds are heard during each contraction and dilatation. They may be described
graphically as lub-dub.
It is a wise precaution to have the heart of an old horse tested annually before he is given fast
work.

20. Intermittent Heart
This is the most common of heart affections.
The condition may be caused by old age or overwork, or by indigestion, or it may be a legacy of
influenza or other fever.
Treatment. Rest. Call in the veterinary surgeon.
The pulse is taken where the sub maxillary artery passes under the jaw.
This point is about half-way between the chin and the junction of head and neck.
With proper care and use of quality equine supplies, internal diseases among horses can be
prevented. Drop by our site to find top of the line equipment.